Trials
by CathGilLove
Summary: Set three months after Inside The Box. Cath and Gil have been secretly married two months and together from when he came out of surgery. However their relationship is about to be exposed as Catherine is sued by a criminal for tampering with evidence becau
1. Chapter 1

1/8

"I hate this," Gil said, as he watched his wife sit silently in the car beside him. "We both know that you didn't tamper with evidence. This guy deserves what he's getting and is just lashing out because he's not happy." He watched her for a second and then reached over to squeeze her hand. "Cath?"

"Hmm?" she asked, turning to him. She smiled and squeezed his hand back. "I'm fine."

Gil pulled into a parking lot and Catherine looked at him, a confused look on her face.

"What are you doing?"

"Baby, I'm worried about you." He smiled and traced the outline of her lips. "I'm not used to you being this quiet."

Catherine sighed. "Or sued."

His finger tipped her chin up so that he was staring into her eyes. "You did nothing wrong, Catherine. You know that. You have nothing to worry about."

Her eyes fluttered back downwards. "I'm being sued, Gil. That's something to worry about."

* * *

"What are you guys doing here?" Nick asked, his eyes widening as Gil and Catherine walked into the breakroom where Greg, Sara and Warrick sat with Nick.

"We do still work here, don't we?" Gil asked Catherine, who shrugged.

"But don't you have to…OW!" Greg said, as Sara kicked him.

"Tomorrow, Greg," Catherine said quietly. "I'm just going to work on some paperwork."

Warrick frowned. "They took you off field work?"

"I didn't expect to be kept on," Catherine replied.

"Man, that sucks," Nick grumbled.

"Assignments," Gil said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Sara, you and Nick have a db on the Strip. Warrick, you and I have one at a hotel." He handed the piece of paper to Warrick. "I'll meet you out there in a few."

Warrick nodded and watched Catherine follow Gil into his office.

Catherine narrowed her eyes as she noticed the cages in the room had blankets over them and all the other things in jars were facing away from the desk. "Hon, whose been rearranging your office?"

"Me," he replied, turning to her. "I thought you might like to work in here tonight and I knew you wouldn't want the eyes of the bug world on you."

"You're sweet," she smiled. "And thankyou."

He pulled her closer and his look turned somber. "You're not doing this alone, Catherine. I promise you. That's part of the deal, remember? For better or worse." He bent down and kissed her gently.

"More," she murmured, her lips pressing insistently against his. "Make it go away."

He wanted nothing more than to clear his desk and make love to her over and over again, pushing the court case from her mind.

"Catherine, we can't," he said, pulling away from her. "This place could be bugged or anything. I don't want to hurt you in this case."

"Right," she said, pulling away. "Sorry."

He gripped her shoulders. "Cath, I promise when we get home that I will endeavour to make love to you until the only thing you can think about is pleasure and sleep. But I love you too much to let anything ruin your career because I know how much it means to you."

She got up on tiptoes and kissed him gently. "Thankyou." She patted his arm. "Have fun with Warrick."

Gil's face lit up. "It's got bugs."

Catherine chuckled and kissed him again. "Go on."

* * *

Their bodies lay entwined and the cool air of the fan made her shiver as it hit her sweat-slicked body. Her hand traveled down to her abdomen and she held it there, thinking how ironical it was that two days ago, she had just been told she was pregnant…and then five minutes later that she was being sued.

Gil didn't know she was pregnant yet, and she wasn't going to tell him until the court case was over. He'd just worry and she wanted the pregnancy to be something they celebrated.

Her thoughts turned back to the court case and how they were going to pick through her life. She wasn't worried about her former life anymore; but she didn't want her life with Gil scrutinized. It was beautiful and untouched and pure from the trash that they regularly sifted through on cases. She rolled out of Gil's arms and onto her side, her back to him. She cried quietly, desperate not to wake her husband.

"Catherine?" Gil said. He had felt her move out of his arms and he could hear the faint sound of her crying. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, spooning her body into his and kissing her shoulder.

"Catherine, what's the matter?"

"Everything's ruined."

"No, no it's not." He turned her and made her look into his eyes. "Nothing is ruined. Everything is going to be fine, I promise you." He kissed the tears from her eyes. "What can I do to make it better? Please tell me baby, I want to help."

His pet name for her almost made her burst into a strong sobbing, but instead she straddled his waist and bent down, kissing him gently. Her hand skimmed down and stroked his length, pleased to see that he was already hard.

She laid her body atop his and whispered in his ear. "Fuck me."

Gil's eyes almost popped out of his head. "What?" He hadn't seen Cath this animalistic in a while, and although their sex life was more than satisfying, he couldn't help the sharp stab of desire that he felt at her words.

"I want you," she said. "Now."

He bucked up against her as her hand stroked him. "God, Cath…" He looked into her eyes. Arousal and primal need stared back at him. "C'mere," he said, urging her head down so he could kiss her.

It wasn't a leisurely, sweet kiss. It was hot, passionate and needy. Their tongues dueled and she ground her body against him.

* * *

"Oh God," she moaned, snuggling up. "Oh God."

"Feel better?" he asked, his hand gently stroking her back.

"Mhm," she murmured, as he rolled them so that they were on their side. "So good."

He kissed her sweaty forehead. "Sleep baby," he told her. "Sleep."

* * *

She sat outside the courtroom, fiddling with her skirt. Gil had gone to get her a glass of water. She had just finished throwing up in the bathroom, although she had told Gil it was nerves. Catherine hated lying to him. It made her feel awful.

"Here you go," Gil said, handing her the glass. He sat beside her and watched her drink it, gently brushing a lock of hair that fell around her face. "Feel better?"

She nodded and putting the glass down, leant into his embrace.

"Wanna go home."

He kissed her gently. "I know, baby. And I promise you that we will go home very soon."

"Are you ready?" Catherine's lawyer said, walking briskly up to the couple.

Gil looked at his wife, who nodded. "As ready as we'll ever be."

* * *

"Please state your name and occupation for the court," the criminal's lawyer said drily.

Catherine glanced at her husband, who nodded reassuringly. "Catherine Grissom. I'm a CSI Level 4 at the Las Vegas Crime Lab."

The man looked at her. "The names and ranks of your coworkers?"

"Gilbert Grissom, CSI Level 4. Nicholas Stokes, CSI Level 3. Warrick Brown, CSI Level 3. Sara Sidle, CSI Level 3."

"Your husband?"

Catherine almost felt like whacking the man. "Gil Grissom."

"Your supervisor?"

"Yes."

"How long has he been your supervisor?"

"Four years."

"How long have you been married?"

"Two months."

"How long have you been in a relationship?"

"Three months."

The lawyer raised an eyebrow. "So, you were only in a relationship for one month before you got married?"

"We've known each other for seventeen years."

"During which time you were previously married?"

"Yes."

"To an Edward Willows, correct?"

"Yes."

"During this time, did you engage in a relationship with Mr Grissom?"

"No."

"But you knew him."

"Yes."

"Mrs Grissom, are there any children involved in this relationship?"

"I have a daughter."

"How old is your daughter?"

"Nine."

"Is she Mr Grissom's child?"

"No."

"Do you and Mr Grissom have any children?"

Catherine hesitated. She could see the confused expression on Gil's face and she hated the fact this was how he was going to find out. "Not yet."

The lawyer had caught her hesitation. "Mrs Grissom, are you pregnant?"

"Yes." Her eyes went directly to Gil, who sat staring back at her in shock.

"How far along are you?"

"Six weeks."

The lawyer could see the obvious silent looks going between herself and Gil. "Is your husband aware of this?"

Catherine sighed. "He is now."

"So you didn't tell him you were pregnant?"

"Relevance?" Catherine's lawyer asked, jumping up.

"Your honour, the witness is clearly secretive. She didn't even tell her own husband that she was pregnant! If I can go further, perhaps there are other things she isn't telling us that could have consequences for my client."

Catherine felt sick. Gil was staring at her, his face blank.

"Move along, Mr Capsin. Away from this line of questioning if possible."

"Yes your honour. Mrs Grissom, you used to be an exotic dancer."

"Yes."

"A stripper? At the French Palace"

Catherine looked back at him. "Yes."

"Did you perform private dances for men?"

"Yes."

"Just dances?"

Catherine glared at him. "Yes," she ground out.

"Mrs Grissom, did you ever perform private dances for Mr Grissom?"

"No."

"No? He never asked or you never offered?"

"Move to strike that," Catherine's lawyer said.

"Withdrawn," Caspin said quickly. "Mrs Grissom, was Mr Grissom ever at the French Palace during one of your performances?"

"Yes," Catherine replied. "We sometimes had coffee afterward. He worked the graveyard shift at the time."

"Just coffee?"

"Yes."

"Mrs Grissom, have you ever had a sexual relationship with any of your other coworkers?"

"No," she said firmly.

"And you never had a sexual relationship with any of the men you danced for?"

"No!"

"Does the name Jonathon Melvin mean anything to you?"

"Should it?"

"He works on the day shift, occasionally on the nightshift as a cataloguer of evidence. Mr Melvin says that you engaged in sexual relations with him on several occasions after you danced for him."

Catherine's eyes widened. "He's lying!"

"He showed us a videotape."

As the two lawyers went into combat, Catherine scanned the room for her husband. He had gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2/8

"Catherine we have to talk about…"

"I want to see Gil."

"Catherine, I don't know where he is! He just disappeared. Now about this…"

"It's not true. And I want to go find him." Catherine's eyes pleaded with her lawyer. "Please."

The lawyer finally agreed, saying that she would work on viewing the tape among other things. Catherine dashed out of the room and quickly rang the CSI lab.

"Stokes."

"Nicky, why do you have Grissom's phone?"

"Because he asked me to answer it."

"Where is he?"

"In his office. All the doors and windows are shut and the blinds are down. What happened down there?"

"Just make sure he doesn't leave."

* * *

Catherine stood in front of the door to her husband's office. Never before had she been afraid to walk into that room. Until today. She was terrified of what she would find in there. Steeling a breath, she knocked slightly on the door.

"I said not to be disturbed, Nick!"

She opened the door and saw him sitting at his desk, eyes closed.

"It's not Nick," she murmured, shutting the door behind her.

His eyes snapped open and he swiveled around in his chair to face her. "Catherine."

She could see pain in his eyes, but dammit, she was hurting too. "You left me alone."

"Your lawyer was there."

"You broke your promise. You promised that you would stay the entire time."

He stood up. "You didn't tell me you were pregnant."

"I wanted to tell you the second I found out."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because, I knew it would worry you. And I wanted the time that you found out you were going to be a father to be perfect. I wanted us to kiss, go out for dinner, hell, make love! But I knew you wouldn't, that you'd worry."

His eyes looked worried. "The other night! God, I could have hurt you…"

Catherine threw her hands in the air. "See?" She sat down on the sofa. "What we did the other night…I needed it, Gil. More than anything." Her eyes darkened. "You don't…you don't believe what they said about me, do you?" She stood up and moved over to him, kneeling in front of his chair. "Gil, I swear I never…"

He placed a finger on her lips. "I know, I know. I know you would have told me." He lifted her to sit in his lip, and she curled up, snuggling close. His hand traveled to rest on her abdomen.

"We made a baby?"

She smiled broadly, and rested her hand on his. "Mhm. Six weeks. I'm not showing yet, but it's there."

Gil smiled and kissed her forehead. Ever so gently he began to rock a little in his chair. Catherine let out a content moan and moved closer, burying her head in his shoulder.

"I love you, Catherine. So very much. And I'm sorry you have to go through this. I wish I could make it better."

"You are, just by being there for me," she answered, her voice slightly muffled by the fact her face was buried in his shoulder. "I love you too."

"How about I take you home?" he suggested, stroking her hair as he rocked her in his arms. "You can call Lindsey. I bet she and my mother are up watching movies."

"Your mother is so good with her."

"Lindsey's an amazing girl. Just like her mother."

* * *

Catherine stared at the tape in her hands. Her lawyer had couriered it over, asking Catherine to watch it and then call her with her opinion. Gil was asleep, and she was determined he was not going to see this. With a sigh, she slid the tape in the VCR and pressed play.

The images that filled the screen made her feel nauseous. The woman was certainly blonde, but the images were fuzzy which made it hard for her tired eyes to distinguish how anyone could believe it was her.

"That's not you," came a voice from behind her.

She instantly pressed stop and whipped around. "Gil, what are you doing up?"

"You weren't there. You know I don't sleep well unless you're in my arms." He walked over and ejected the tape, slipping it back into the box. "It's not you so we don't need to watch it."

"If you hadn't heard it from me, how would you know?" she asked, standing up.

Gil moved beside her and took her in his arms. "Because I know how you look, feel and sound. I know how you move when we make love. And I know whoever that woman is, it's not you." He kissed her forehead. "Besides, I trust you. More than anyone." He tilted her chin so that she was looking into his eyes. "And you know how hard it is for me to let someone in and for me to trust them."

She smiled and hugged him, resting her head against his chest. "Thankyou."

"For what?" he asked her, rubbing her back.

"For being you. For loving me. And for letting me love you back."

"I love you," he murmured. "Now come on, let's go back to bed."

Taking her hand, he took her into their bedroom.

* * *

"Did you watch the tape?" Catherine's lawyer, Jenni asked her.

"It's not her," Gil stated firmly.

Jenni nodded. "I know. But at the moment it's a "he said, she said" game. We need some evidence that the woman on the tape isn't Catherine."

"It's shaky," Gil said, glancing at his wife, who was being uncharacteristically silent, "because the video is so fuzzy. It could be anyone."

"That's the problem," Catherine murmured. "It could be me."

"But it's not," Gil told her. "We all know that."

Catherine stood up and walked over to the window, gazing down on the busy Las Vegas traffic. "Knowing it and proving it are two different things."

Jenni looked at her. "We have to fight this. We can't just give up."

"What would he want to settle it?" Catherine asked.

"Don't answer that," Gil said sharply. "Catherine…"

She turned to him, tears glistening in the corner of her eyes. "Gil, let's face facts. I used to be a stripper. I gave men lap dances for money. Who are they going to believe? A former stripper turned CSI who married her supervisor and kept it secret, or an upstanding citizen?"

"He's hardly upstanding," Jenni retorted. "He tapes women he sleeps with."

"It's not a crime," Catherine replied.

"It is if he did it without their consent." Jenni sighed. "Look, we've all had a long day. How about you guys go home and take a break? We're not in court for another day."

Gil nodded. "I think that's a good idea."

* * *

"Pasta a la Grissom," Gil grinned, placing the dish in front of Catherine.

She looked up at him and smiled. "This looks great."

He smiled fondly at her and sat down at the other chair. "I do my best."

They ate in silence for a few minutes, Gil keeping a close eye on her to make sure she ate properly.

"Why did you marry me?"

Gil widened his eyes, looking at her. "What?"

"Why did you marry me?"

"Because I love you. More than anything or anyone in the world. Because you make me happy. Because I can't live without you." He watched her for a moment. "I could keep going. Want me to?"

She smiled. "No, I get the gist."

Gil nodded. "Good. So you won't be asking anymore silly questions like that?"

Catherine shook her head. "No."


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3/8

Catherine sat back on the cool tiles of the bathroom, gulping in fresh air. Gil walked in and pressed a cool cloth to her head, and she sighed in satisfaction.

"That help?" he asked, dabbing it around her face.

"Mhm," she murmured, as he sat down behind her and pulled her into his embrace.

He handed her a glass of water. "Here, wash your mouth out."

She accepted the water gratefully and after a few moments lay back in his arms.

"So, this is pregnancy?" he smiled, stroking her arms.

Catherine nodded. "Part of it."

Gil pressed a kiss to her cheek. "We'll get through it." He took her hand. "You okay to get up?"

"Yeah," she replied, and Gil helped her get up.

He scrutinized her for a moment. "You're a bit pale. And a bit unsteady on your feet. How about you go lie down for a while?"

"I'm fine," Catherine replied. She went into their walk-in wardrobe, picking out some clothes to wear.

"I want to take that tape into CSI," Gil stated, sitting on the bed.

Catherine froze. "What did you say?"

"I want to take the tape into CSI."

Catherine stood in the doorway of the wardrobe. "Over my dead body."

Gil turned to her. "What are you worried about? It's not you."

"That's not the point," she answered. "It doesn't matter if it's me or not. The fact is, people think it's me. And anyone who sees that video is going to think that's what I used to do."

Gil stood up and walked to the doorway. "No one who knows you would ever think that."

Catherine watched him. "Why didn't you ever ask me?"

"Ask you what?"

"For a lap dance."

"Because I knew you were above all that. I wanted to get to know you."

"Did you ever think…" She stopped. "Never mind."

His hands snaked out and gripped her shoulders. "I do mind. Finish the question."

"Did you ever think that's what I did? And when you heard about the tape…did you think it could be me?"

Gil was dumfounded. "I can't believe you ever wondered that."

"It's not such a ridiculous question," she answered.

"Yes, it is," he told her firmly. "I never doubted for a second that the tape was someone else, Catherine. And I never once thought that you slept with clients." He squeezed her shoulders. "Don't ever think that, okay?"

Catherine nodded. "But you still can't take the tapes to CSI."

Gil groaned. "Cath, it might be a good chance to enhance the tape."

"I don't care. I am not having that tape circulating the lab."

"Do you really think I would let that happen?"

"It's not that," Catherine answered. "You know I trust you more than anyone. It's just that anything could happen. Something could happen and anyone could see that tape."

"I won't let it. I refuse to let you go down in this trial." He took her hands. "I will do anything in my power to stop it."

Gil could see her battling herself. He knew that she wanted this over, but on the other hand, he understood her hesitance at letting him take the tape to the lab.

She bit her lip. "You'd stay with it all the time?"

He nodded. "I swear."

"Okay. Just…be careful."

* * *

Catherine looked up and smiled as Warrick came into Gil's office. "Hey, Warrick."

"Hey," he grinned. He bent over and kissed her cheek. "Congratulations on the impending arrival."

"Thanks," she replied.

He frowned and sat on the sofa. "I thought you'd be happy about the baby."

"I am, really I am. Believe me, I want this baby more than anything." She sighed. "I guess when I envisioned Gil and I having a child together, it wasn't the exact time I was hoping for."

Warrick nodded. "Anytime you need anything…"

Catherine smiled. "Thanks Warrick."

* * *

Archie fiddled with the controls.

"All we need is to prove it isn't Catherine. Some distinguishing mark on that woman or something."

"What moron taped this? Obviously has no idea how to work a camera," Archie muttered, fiddling some more.

"Archie…" Gil said, starting to get exasperated.

Archie caught the look on the older man's face and silently continued working on the controls.

* * *

Catherine sank down to the floor in the CSI locker room. She had just lost her last two meals and she felt absolutely awful. As long as Gil didn't come in, she'd be fine.

She didn't want to worry him, and she most certainly didn't want that tape left alone.

"Catherine!" Nick cried, skidding to the floor next to her. "Are you okay? Do you want me to get the MT's? What about Grissom?"

"I'm fine," she smiled wanly at him. "Morning sickness has transferred to all day sickness. I don't need the MT's. And don't dare disturb Gil."

"Catherine, I'm sure he'd want to know that you're sick, even if he's busy with that tape."

Her eyes locked onto his. "What tape? How did you know about the tape?"

Nick put a hand on her shoulder. "Take a breath, Cath. It's okay. We're going to help you."

She smiled gratefully as he helped her onto one of the nearest seats. "Thanks, Nick."

* * *

"Does Catherine have a tattoo on her left buttock?" Archie asked, feeling extremely embarrassed that he was having to ask that question.

Gil turned around and almost jumped in glee. "No!" He smiled broadly. "Thanks, Archie. If you can make a copy of that, I need to go see my wife."

* * *

Catherine was back in Gil's office, lying on the sofa. Her eyes popped open as she felt Gil's lips pressed insistently against hers. After she got over her initial shock she kissed him back tugging him to lie on top of her. When the kiss broke, her eyes looked up at him.

"Nice to see you too," she murmured.

"I need to see your butt," he smiled at her.

Catherine raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Well, last time I checked you didn't have a tattoo on your butt."

"No, I don't have…she does?"

He nodded. "The woman on the tape has a tattoo on her butt." He leant in and kissed her again. "You're fine, honey. It's all fine."

Tears of relief sprung from her eyes as she hugged her husband close to her. "I want to go home."

He nodded. "Okay. Let me tell the team and then I'm taking you home."

Before he could move she held him to her.

"It's not over yet," she warned him.

He smiled and kissed her gently. "I know. But we're closer to the end now, baby. Everything's going to be fine."


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4/8

"You ready?" Diane asked, as Catherine lay on the table.

Catherine nodded.

The machine turned on and a small thumping noise filled the room.

"That's the baby?" Gil asked, his eyes widening.

Diane smiled. "Yeah. That's one very healthy baby." She pointed at the image on the screen. "See that little white blob. There it is."

Catherine looked at the baby, her and Gil's baby. Gil leaned down and kissed her, squeezing our hand.

"That's our baby," he murmured. "It's perfectly healthy. It's perfect."

* * *

"So what are they going to look at next?" Gil asked Jenni, as he kept a careful eye on Catherine, who was tucking into her lunch.

"There can't be much more they want to look at," Catherine murmured. "They've looked at everything."

"Well, we've pretty much thrown out their theory that every case you've worked on has been compromised before you married Gil. So now they just want to prove that this case wasn't."

"What about if there was evidence that someone other than Catherine collected that could convict him?"

Jenni's ears pricked up. "That would be great."

Catherine narrowed her eyes at Gil. "I was the only one working on the case."

"Officially, anyway," Gil told her.

"Oh no. No, no, no. We are not going there. She's only just found out you're married and now you want her to testify for me! You want to crucify me in the courtroom?"

"You're overreacting," Gil said, rolling his eyes.

"Overreacting? Gil, she was…probably still is, in love with you. She hates my guts!"

Jenni's eyes traveled between the two of them. "Um, who are we discussing here?"

Catherine muttered something as she stuck a fork in her steak, still glaring at her husband.

"Sara Sidle," Gil repeated.

Catherine pushed her plate away. "Now I've lost my appetite." She pointed a finger at her husband. "That's not healthy for our baby."

* * *

"She'd probably do it if I asked her."

"You don't need to go anywhere near Sara Sidle," Catherine growled.

Gil grinned. "Catherine, you don't need to be jealous." He held up his hand and put it against hers, so the wedding rings were touching. "I married you. I love you." He placed his other hand on her abdomen. "We're having a baby together."

"That doesn't mean I trust her," Catherine said darkly.

Gil looked at her. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course," she said without hesitation.

He spooned her against him, holding her and resting his hand on the bump of their baby. "Then trust me to talk to her, Catherine." He kissed her neck. "Trust me."

She sighed and moved closer to him, relishing his warmth and the feel of his arms around her. "Fine. But if she makes a move on you, you better be ready to defend me for justifiable homicide."

Gil chuckled. "That's my kick-ass Catherine."

"Always."

* * *

Grissom knocked on the doorjamb of one of the evidence rooms, noticing Sara working on something.

"Sara?"

She turned around and when she saw him, her eyes widened slightly. "Grissom. I thought...I thought you'd be at home with Catherine."

Grissom hated talking about his personal life. But this was important. This was for Catherine. "I know that when Catherine and I were in the breakroom the other day…you didn't know."

"It's none of my business," Sara replied.

"I regret not making it clear to you last year…"

"It was clear," Sara assured him.

Grissom nodded and sat down on one of the free chairs. "Sara, I need your help."

Once again her eyes widened and she sat back in the chair. "My help?"

He sighed. "You worked on that case with Catherine a while back."

"Unofficially," Sara reminded him.

"I need you to testify."

"What?"

"You know the evidence as well as Catherine did. You can testify to the fact that Cath didn't tamper with evidence. There has got to be evidence there that you handled as well…"

Sara sighed. "That's going to look really good, isn't it? The 'other' woman in the relationship testifying."

"It's important, Sara. To both me and Catherine." He frowned. 'And you're not the 'other' woman in the relationship. I'm sorry if I led you on in any way. I've only ever loved one woman in my life Sara, and that woman is Catherine. I know that considering what I'm asking you to do, it's probably not helpful for me to tell you this now, but it's the truth. I love my wife very much, Sara."

Sara nodded. "I can see that." She looked at him. "I guess I always knew. Even before I knew you were together. There was always this vibe around when the two of you were in the same room." She folded her arms. "I'll testify, but I don't know how much good I'll do."

"Thanks," Grissom smiled warmly. Before he could exit the door, Sara stopped him.

"Grissom?"

"Mhm?"

"If Catherine hadn't been in your life, would there have been a chance for us?"

Grissom was silent for a moment, then gave her a rueful smile. "I can't imagine life without Catherine in it. I'm sorry, Sara."

Sara watched him go. "Me too."


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5/8

Gil raised an eyebrow as his wife walked slowly around him. "Cath, are you inspecting me?"

She moved back, an embarrassed smile on her face. "No."

Gil smirked and pulled her into his arms. "Who did I marry? Who do I love more than anything in the world? Who am I having a baby with?" He pulled her flush with his body and whispered in her ear. "Who do I make love to every night?"

Catherine buried her head in his chest. "Me, I know. Just don't trust her. Even if she is testifying for me." She looked up at him. "I'd rather lose my career than you."

"You'll never lose me, you know that," he replied, brushing his lips over hers in a featherlight kiss that made her tingle all over. "I just have someone else to go and see and then we can go home."

"Who?"

"Just a friend," he replied mysteriously. "Behave yourself. I'll be right back."

Catherine smiled and watched him go.

* * *

"Ecklie," Grissom nodded, as he wandered into the breakroom. He saw a worried looking man sitting beside Conrad.

"Grissom," Ecklie nodded back. "This is Jonathon Melvin." He glanced at the boy and then at Grissom again. "Congratulations on the baby. I'll uh, leave you two alone to chat."

Grissom smiled. "Thankyou, Ecklie. If you want to pass you congratulations on to Catherine, she's in my office."

"Will do," Ecklie replied, noting Jonathon stiffening at Catherine's name. He smirked to himself as he left the room. Grissom and Ecklie would be back to bickering tomorrow.

"My name is Gil Grissom," Gil said, extending his hand to the young man.

Cautiously Melvin took Grissom's hand, and all of a sudden found himself pulled into a standing position.

Greg, who had been in the lab, stoically stood at the side of the door, just out of sight, but keeping his eye on the action, ready to intervene if necessary. But if Grissom was able to, Greg was more than happy to let him beat the shit out of Jonathon Melvin.

"I'm not a violent man, Jonathon," Grissom informed him. "And as much as I'd like to kill you right now, I won't. Because I'd rather be with my family than waste time on you." He stood closer to the man, eye to eye, his anger clear on his face. "If you ever, ever, do, say or even think anything that can hurt my family or my friends, I will kill you. And trust me, I'm a CSI. I can make it look like an accident better than anyone. Understood?"

Jonathon shrugged and Gil turned to leave the room.

"Are you sure the baby is yours?" was the cheap shot that followed him.

Greg widened his eyes as Gil turned around and his fist connected with Jonathon's chin. Warrick and Nick, who were coming to get some coffee, quickly raced in with Greg, before Gil could do anymore damage.

"Grissom, let it go," Warrick said, trying to restrain him. "Let it go. Go be with Catherine."

At Catherine's name, Grissom's fight left him. With a final glare at Melvin, he stalked out of the room.

* * *

"Let me at him!" Jonathon kept growling, as Nick kept him under control.

"The way he is at the moment he'd probably kill you," Warrick assured him.

"That's right. You all protect him and his little whoring wife," Jonathon spat.

In a move that surprised all three men, Greg turned around and punched him. At the stares from Nick and Warrick, he shrugged.

"No one makes fun of Cath and gets away with it in my lab," Greg replied, sauntering back to the lab, grabbing some ice for his hand on the way.

* * *

Gil held Catherine's hand tightly in his as they walked down the hallway of the lab, ready to go home. He felt a sinking feeling in his gut as he heard Brass call out his name.

"I'm going home, Jim," he said.

Jim Brass sighed and looked at him pointedly. "What were you thinking?"

Catherine raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

"Your husband had a little conversation with Jonathon Melvin."

Catherine's eyes widened and she turned to Gil. "You didn't…?"

"So did Greg," Jim told them.

"Greg!" they said in unison.

Jim nodded. He looked at Gil. "I have to do it."

Gil nodded back. "I know."

"Gil Grissom, you are under arrest for assault. You…"

"Don't cuff him," Catherine pled. "Please."

"Stand back boys," Jim told the two officers with him. "Let's go Gil."


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6/8

Catherine stood behind the interrogation wall, watching her husband with Jim. A tear slipped down the corner of her cheek. Her world was crumbling down around her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she whipped her head around.

"Hey, Nick. Hi Warrick."

"Hey Cath, don't cry," Warrick said, pulling her into a hug. "Brass'll sort it out."

"He won't let anything happen to them," Nick offered.

Catherine smiled wanly. She turned her attention back to the interrogation. Both Gil and Jim had said there was no way she could sit in on it, and that made her peeved.

Catherine frowned as Gil sat calmly, answering Jim's questions and she growled her frustration. "I swear that man…"

"He loves you," Warrick told her. "Very much. We all know that Grissom isn't a violent guy."

They all turned back as Jim came out. "Catherine, we've got to put…"

"No," Catherine said. "Don't do it."

"Until I can get onto a judge I have to. I don't have a choice."

Catherine's tears started flowing freely as she watched cuffs being put on her husband. "At least take the cuffs off. It'll humiliate him to walk through the station like that. Everyone knows him here."

"I have to, Catherine. Here more than anywhere." Jim placed a hand on her shoulder. I'll do everything I can, I promise."

She tried to rein in her tears, but it wasn't working. "Can I just…can I have a moment with him?"

Jim nodded and motioned for the two officers to come out of the room. Catherine pushed past them and went into the room.

"I'm sorry," Gil apologized, the moment she entered the room. "I'm so sorry."

She smiled at him and rested her hand on his cheek. "Don't apologise. I still think you're crazy for doing it, but I understand you."

"I don't want you to worry about this," he assured her. "I need you to take care of yourself and our baby, okay?"

Catherine leaned up and brushed her lips against his. "Always. But…I will get you out…"

"Don't worry about me," he smiled at her. "Just look after yourself. I'll fix this, I promise." He pressed his lips against hers hard and then kissed her forehead.

Catherine stood back and watched as the officers took him away. Warrick and Nick came into the room. Nick leaned against the wall and Warrick took Catherine in his arms as she cried.

* * *

"Fancy seeing you here," Greg said, as Gil came into the lockup.

Gil sat down on the hard bench. "I heard you punched Melvin."

Greg shrugged. "He deserved it."

Gil leant his head against the stone cold wall. "Agreed."

* * *

Catherine stared blankly at the window as Jenni discussed the problems it was going to cause for the case.

"Catherine? Catherine are you listening?"

"Hmm?"

Jenni put herself in Catherine's eye view. "Catherine, this is serious."

Catherine sighed. "I know. But I'm more worried about Gil at the moment." She looked up as Nick knocked at the door.

"Sorry to interrupt. Jim wants to see you down at the station."

Before Jenni could say a word, Catherine grabbed her bag and followed Nick out.

* * *

"The reason I have the three of you in here, is because we have a deal offered," Jim said. "Jonathon will drop all charges against Greg and Gil if Catherine settles."

"Done," Catherine said.

"No," Gil replied stubbornly. "I won't let you do it, Catherine. And if you do, I will refuse to sign off on the deal."

Catherine glared at him. "Gil…"

"I won't sign off either," Greg said.

"What?"

Greg shrugged his shoulders. "Who else would I flirt with in the lab?"

"Can I speak to Gil alone for a moment?" Catherine asked.

Jim nodded and he and Greg left the room.

"Don't start, Catherine," Gil said, standing up.

She raised an eyebrow. "Don't start? Listen to me, Gil! I am not going through this pregnancy alone, let's just get that straight to begin with. After all the crap we've gone through so far, I refuse to let you sit in jail. Do you understand me?"

Gil frowned at her. "Catherine, after all this crap as you put it, do you really think I'm going to let you settle? I'm not going to watch you lose your career for something like this."

She moved over to him and her eyes locked onto his. "You are more important to me than my career Gil Grissom, and don't you dare ever forget that." Catherine cupped his face with her hands. "I love you. I don't want to visit you in jail. I'd rather have no career than do that."

Before Gil could reply, Jim came into the room. "Sorry to interrupt but Sheriff Mobley is here."

Catherine groaned as her hands slipped from Gil's face. "Great, what does he want?"


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7/8

"This is a very unfortunate situation," Brian Mobley said, standing in the room.

Catherine sat next to her husband, Greg in another chair, and Jim leaning against the wall.

"You think?" Jim said dryly.

Brian frowned at him. "The office is getting a lot of heat over this court case, and if this was to hit the press, it would be even worse."

"What do you suggest we do, Brian?" Gil asked, with a note of sarcasm to his voice.

"All charges will be dropped. The court case will be dealt with expediently." He folded his arms and stared pointedly at Catherine. "I expect you to win."

"So that's it?"

"Do you want an invitation to leave?" Mobley asked Greg. "That's it. Everyone will go back to their lives and we'll get this mess cleaned up as soon as possible." He turned to Gil. "And this is not a personal favour."

Gil nodded and Mobley left the room. Greg stood up and smiled.

"Well, it was nice being a jailbird with you Grissom, but I do have places to be. Good day all."

Catherine and Gil watched in shock as everyone slowly filed out of the room.

"Did Mobley just come to bat for me?" Gil asked, staring at his wife.

"I don't care," Catherine replied, pressing her lips firmly against his. "I want to go home."

He deepened the kiss, not caring where they were. He held her close to him, and pressed his body against hers. "I love you, Catherine."

She smiled. "I love you too. Take me home."

"With pleasure."

* * *

He held her close to him that night, her body flush against his. His hands rested on her abdomen, and he pressed small kisses to her neck.

"I'm not going anywhere," she murmured, her hands resting on top of his.

"I know," he answered. "I know you don't understand why I did what I did but…"

She turned around in his arms and pressed a finger against his lips. 'I know you, Gil. And I know that you would have a reason. I just wish you would tell me."

"No," Gil replied, kissing her finger. "Don't argue with me on that point, Catherine." He brushed some hair from her face. "You know, Sara asked me something today."

"Mhm?" she asked, resting her hand on his chest.

"She asked me if I hadn't been with you, would there have been a chance with her."

Catherine narrowed her eyes. "What did you say?"

He smiled at her. "I said no, because I couldn't imagine a life without you."

"Hmm," she smiled, kissing him gently. "Good answer."

"I thought so." He caressed her cheek. "It's true you know. I can't."

She nodded. "I know. Me too."

"When this is all over, how about we take a holiday? You, me and Lindsey."

"I'd like that."

He kissed her again. "Can we make love?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Their lips met in a deep kiss, Catherine pushing herself close to him.

Gil felt her hand wrap around his shaft and he gasped as she squeezed tightly.

"Are you listening?" she asked, pulling away slightly.

He gulped. She was pissed.

"How can I not when you have your hand so delicately around my anatomy?" He shifted. "Gentle dear."

Catherine smiled. "Good. Now that I've got your attention."

"You could have just…ah…okay go ahead."

She leaned up to his ear and whispered. "If you ever, ever pull a stunt like that again, and get yourself even halfway close to going to jail, and then ignore me when I try to do something to get you out, I'll be squeezing a little harder. Understand?"

He nodded. "Yes ma'am."

She grinned and pulled her hand away. "Excellent. Now where were we?"

* * *

"I don't know about this," Catherine said, fidgeting. "I have this terrible feeling…"

"Catherine," Gil said warningly. "I spoke to Sara. Jenni spoke to Sara. It's not as if she's testifying for the other side."

Catherine made a funny noise and Gil glared at her.

"Morning guys," Sara said, walking up to them.

"Thankyou for coming, Sara," Gil said.

Catherine and Sara stared at each other for a moment; Sara jealous of what Catherine had, and Catherine confident in the fact that Gil was hers.

"All ready to go?" Jenni asked, striding confidently up to the trio.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Catherine said to herself, and then smiled as Gil took her hand in his.

"Sara Sidle. CSI Level 3."

"And your relationship with Mr and Mrs Grissom?"

Sara quickly pondered how to answer that. "Colleagues."

"And your relationship to Mr Grissom?"

"He's my supervisor."

"Ms Sidle, you were unofficially on the case with Mrs Grissom. Can you explain what that means?"

"I was maxed out on overtime which meant I couldn't go out on the field. But I processed evidence pertaining to the case and worked on the case at the labs."

"Did you take any evidence from the suspect at the labs?"

"Yes. I took hair and DNA samples. They were matched with the samples found at the crime scene."

"Did Mrs Grissom have any contact with these samples?"

"She collected the samples found at the crime scene, but an officer was present at the time."

Jenni asked a few more questions and then the criminal's lawyer stood up.

"You wanted to date Mr Grissom, yes?"

"I asked him out once."

"And?"

"He said no."

"Have you asked him again?"

"No."

"Did you know he was married before this trial?"

"No."

"Would you lie on the stand to protect his wife?"

"No," Sara said. "I would not."


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8/8

"In a shock decision today, Catherine Grissom, daughter of Las Vegas mogul Sam Braun, was cleared of any liability in tampering with evidence concerning the rapist Michael D'Angelo. Mrs Grissom was accused of tampering with evidence to please her husband, Gil Grissom, the supervisor of the graveyard shift at the Las Vegas CSI lab…"

"Turn it off," Catherine growled, her hand slipping under the covers.

"Yes dear," Gil said mockingly, switching off the TV. He pulled her into his arms. "How are you doing?"

She looked up at him a predatory gleam in her eye. "I was doing fine until you interrupted."

He smiled and kissed her gently. "I'm serious, Cath."

"So am I," she replied, locking her eyes with his. A few moments later, she sighed and flopped onto her back, stretching her arms above her head. "Fine, I'm fine."

He rolled over her, staring into her eyes. "Are you sure?"

She nodded and held him to her. "As much as I hate to admit it, you were right about Sara. I mean, I still don't like her…but she probably won the case."

"You won the case," he reminded her, kissing her.

Catherine grinned. "Yes, but Sara's unbridled hostility towards me assured the judge that she wouldn't lie for me."

Gil rolled his eyes. "You two really have it in for each other." He puffed his chest out a little. "Kind of ego boosting that it's about me."

Catherine poked his chest. "Now THAT'S something I won." She winked and kissed him deeply.

"What?" Gil asked, when they pulled apart for air.

"You're mine. And Sara can't have you."

Gil smiled broadly at her. "Cath, darling, she never had a chance."

FINIS


End file.
